Unsafe Haven
by Saxima
Summary: Some day, he might look back and find that the kid was a shit idea. Until then. / / Perhaps, retrospect might tell him that the child wasn't a good idea. Until then. [ Aomine x Kuroko / age difference / AU ]
1. Chapter 1

**o1. Panther + Tetsu**

_**"Tell me if you regret it when you're older, alright?"**_

* * *

It was a decidedly good thing that Tetsu was sometimes easy to please. Daiki decided that the small boy in his arms was simply content with being there, given that he wasn't really rambunctious or overactive. The two of them usually went on a walk every day at the same time, along the same path. Sometimes they would take a less scenic route whenever he had errands to run, but today was refreshingly peaceful, and Akashi didn't have anything for him to do.

"Ice cream." Tetsu announced, his small, pale fist balling into Daiki's black shirt.

At the idea that quickly grew on him, he smiled in return, "Yeah. I could go for some too."

He liked kids, truth be told; they were easy to please and to take care of, and Tetsu was the best of them all. When Daiki had first picked him up, he wondered how a pair of parents _couldn't_ have – he was calm, quiet and had a sense that most kids his age didn't. Daiki had met a lot of brats, but Tetsu was definitely special, and since they had been together, there was a calmness that had suddenly appeared in his chaotic life that was never really around before. It was relaxing and refreshing after living in the fast lane for so long.

In the long run, maybe, just maybe, it would turn out to have been a shit idea to bring the kid into a life like this, but Daiki was never one for thinking into the future. As long as Akashi kept good on his promises of protection in exchange for Daiki's special services, they had a mutual understanding, and Tetsu would be just fine.

With the small boy burying his face into the crook of Daiki's neck, the two of them made their way down the cobblestone path towards the nearest ice cream parlor. His phone vibrated in his pocket, but even if it was Akashi with some random, annoyingly sudden assignment, it could definitely wait until they had their treat.

The young woman at the counter didn't even notice that there was a little boy in Daiki's arm until he set Tetsu down on the counter. She yelped and Tetsu looked at her curiously with those large, seemingly all-knowing blue eyes of his. Daiki had gotten used to the stare after those first few weeks of having to deal with it in silence, but he remembered how unnerving it could be, even from the angelic face of an adorable brat like him.

After paying for their frozen confections, he reminded himself to ask Murasakibara to make ice cream for the both of them some time. With a smooth movement of his strong arm, Daiki swooped Tetsu up with his vanilla cone, grabbed his own chocolate cone and then headed out of the small shop. Enjoying their treats, the pair began on the path back home so that Daiki could check the message ( or messages; there had been a few more vibrations in his pocket. It probably was another assignment. He sighed. )

"Do you like it?" he asked the young boy with a grin, and Tetsu peered up at him, holding his cone that seemed too big for him with both hands and gave him one of his rare, tiny smiles; it translated to a "yes". _So cute. _It made Daiki feel light and happy. He leaned to share his chocolate cone, "Wanna try?"

Tetsu regarded the darker-colored ice cream warily but then experimentally stuck his tiny pink tongue out to give it a try. His face scrunched up with immediate dislike and he quickly returned to the vanilla. "Too much taste," he mumbled, frowning with white cream lining his lips.

Daiki laughed at the sight and then motioned to his own face, "You've got a little . . . something – there – here, let me – " He tried to bring up a napkin, but with his hands pretty much full, he couldn't clean the tiny mouth. He sighed, resorting to leaning in and kissing away cream, which elicited a tickled laugh from Tetsu, who put one of his hands on Daiki's tanned face and pushed it away.

The laugh caught Daiki by surprise and made him feel warmth inside. He wondered, whenever Tetsu got older, if he'd hate him for adopting him into a life like this. He'd never force him to join the line of work, but honestly, sometimes Daiki didn't even feel like that was up to him – mostly because of Akashi. Then sometimes, Tetsu would talk so freely, in that childishly-mature way of his, about protecting Daiki from the "bad things".

He sighed. It'd definitely be bad when a twenty-five-year-old guy would need to be looked after by a _kid_ – even if that kid was the cutest little brat ever.

By the time they had broken from the forest path that led back to Daiki's rather secluded cottage ( yeah, he lived in a cottage, wanna fight about it? ), his chocolate ice cream had been finished and he was helping Tetsu with his. He laughed, "Maybe next time, you won't get such a big cone, mm?"

The blue-eyed boy made a stubborn face and stuck out his tongue, "I'll definitely be able to finish it next time!" he proclaimed, a determined light passing through his eyes. With such a look, Daiki didn't doubt it . . . if Tetsu didn't say something like that every time he couldn't finish his ice cream. Then again, he had to admit that each time, the cone got smaller and smaller. It made him smile to think about the kid actually finishing the treat off one day, as small a thing as it was.

Before they could reach the lawn, Daiki spotted something. More like some_things. _He came to a stop, and then looked thoughtful. "Oi Tetsu," he began calmly, "wanna play kakurenbo¹?" ( _A good distraction will keep you busy. _)

Blue eyes connected with his look that was placid and smooth, "Kakurenbo?" he repeated, sounding slightly confused. ( _Don't be scared. It'll be alright. _)

Daiki nodded, giving a small grin, "Yeah. You'll be the oni², okay? Close your eyes." ( _If I angle my body this way, you won't see. Just keep your eyes closed, I'll take care of the rest. _)

He knew that Tetsu didn't like to be "it" because to be frank, the kid was better at hide-and-seek than he was. He slowly nodded and then put his small hands over his eyes. ( _Such tiny hands . . . _) Daiki pulled up the light blue hood with cat ears on it onto Tetsu's hair. It covered his face from seeing behind him. ( _You'll never have to see. I can't let you be tainted like that._ )

Tetsu buried his face into his shoulder and the arm that supported him tightened ever so slightly while his other hand raised and balled into a steely, dangerous fist.

"Count to ten." Daiki breathed out soothingly. "Make sure you don't peek, 'cuz that's cheating." ( _I never want you to see this._ )

His voice was light and comforting to Tetsuya, but the little boy wondered why he wanted to play a game so suddenly.

In front of Daiki was a crowd of dangerous-looking thugs, all wielding deadly weapons. A stark contrast from his voice, the expression on Daiki's face was dark and menacing. What a hell of a day, huh? He'd probably have to hear about this shit later, but oh well. Another mental note was made to be more careful in the future when he offed gang leaders. Fortunately, they didn't call him _Panther_ for nothing.

He almost let out a sigh before remembering that Tetsu was with him, and that this was supposed to be _their_ day out together. These assholes would definitely regret bothering them.

.

.

.

" . . . Nine . . . Ten!"

Tetsuya's hands popped away from his eyes excitedly, and in front of him was Daiki-chan and his really wonderful face. Tetsuya really liked it when Daiki-chan smiled, "I found you!" he declared, his normally-quiet voice happy and excited.

Daiki laughed and nuzzled his face into Tetsu's cheek. They were walking again, still towards the cottage which had just come into view under the sunset.

The footprints that the young man left behind were thick and muddy with blood. His free arm was carefully hidden behind his back, cut up, marred, and dripping with thick red liquid. In his wake, there was a mess of bloodied and beaten bodies, all down for the count, and some of them, permanently. Tetsu curled into him and his hold tightened once more. Midnight blue eyes closed.

**"Yeah, you found me."**

Later that night, Daiki had finally got around to checking his phone. There were four messages.

_**From: **Akashi  
**Subject: **Warning_

_Kirisaki Daiichi isn't happy about Hanamiya Makoto's unfortunate  
circumstances. I suggest you be wary for the remainder of the day.  
Don't be foolish anymore than you already have been. I'm expecting  
you tomorrow. Be punctual, or I will double your workload._

_**From: **Four Eyes  
**Subject: **Caution_

_Your work on Hanamiya was ridiculously sloppy and you left tracks,  
so they'll be after you. Oha-Asa ranks Virgo near the bottom, but your  
lucky person is an Aquarius. I assume even an idiot like you knows what  
that means. Don't be careless. I'll see you and Akashi tomorrow about  
the Ōnita job._

_**From: **Bimbo  
**Subject: **You better keep Kurokocchi safe!_

_I mean it Ahomine, if you let him get hurt, I'll seriously never forgive  
you! I heard that Hanamiya's gang is super upset and knows you  
offed him, so you better be careful! You n Kurokocchi should  
come visit me soon, ok? I have the day off tomorrow, maybe we  
can have ice cream ~ _（○゜ε＾○）

_**From: **Fatty  
**Subject: **no fair ~_

_how come mine-chin gets the good job, and then leaves a trail  
behind ~ ? _(¬д¬。)_ i really wanna crush u for that, mine-chin.  
maybe if u bring me snacks and kuro-chin tomorrow then i'll forgive  
u. dont forget! _( – ▽ – )ノ

He cracked a smirk at the messages and then set the phone down on the nightstand. He laid down next to the petite, curled figure that was warm in his side and then pulled a blanket over the both of them. Recounting Kise's message, Daiki let out a quiet snort; like he'd ever let Tetsu get hurt. His arm wrapped warmly around the young body. Even, deep breaths bloomed across his bare chest, relaxing him while his eyes drooped closed.

Who knew, the future would probably tell him that it was a shitty idea to have adopted the kid, but for now, Daiki decided it was fine.

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

¹kakurenbo**;** Japanese for 'hide-and-seek'. Also referred to as kakure oni.  
²oni**;** The person who is "it" in tag is usually referred to as "oni", which translates to demons, devils, ogres or trolls.

The story was inspired by a Shingeki no Kyojin strip comic by 霧縞 [ pixiv ID: 318547 ]. Thanks for reading. This is just one of the too-many stories I have lined up, and a good deal of them are _multi-chaptered_. I have no damned idea how the hell I'm going to pull any of that off, but inspiration doesn't seem to want to slow down. Anyway, on the comic, I thought it was really cute and neat how Levi was a badass while still being good to Eren, and I could completely and totally see Aomine and Kuroko in this position!

There will be a second chapter where Aomine and Kuroko's roles are reversed, and then after that, maybe I'll write another story relating to this one. This isn't a birthday story for Ahomine, but I'm going to write that today and hopefully post it on time – happy birthday, Ahomine ~

I hope you leave a review. • u •


	2. Chapter 2

**o2. Phantom + Daiki**

**_"Please tell me if you regret it when you're older."_**

* * *

It was a decidedly good thing that Daiki was a simple child, and was easy to please nearly all the time.

In their free time, they were either going to visit friends, getting midday snacks, or playing basketball, which was the little boy's favorite pass time. Tetsuya had to admit that he liked playing basketball too, if only to see the bright joy it brought Daiki whenever he would successfully shoot a basket or make a clever steal. Today was one of those days, as Akashi-kun didn't have anything for Tetsuya to do, so he was free to spend it however he pleased.

Hand-in-hand, Tetsuya and Daiki walked down the cobblestone path. Daiki practically skipped, marveling at the nature around them, just like every time they took a walk in between the woods. The boy cupped his hands around an area on a tree trunk and then brought them to his chest, closed. He turned his glittering dark eyes to Tetsuya, "Look, look!" he exclaimed, running up to the young man, "I caught a cicada on my first try!"

Even though he hadn't seen the insect yet, the brightness of the little boy's voice was enough to place a small smile on Tetsuya's lips. Like many times before, the young man thought about his once-upon-a-time profession as a kindergarten teacher's assistant, but those memories seemed distant and strewn about his mind . . . Until he stared at Daiki's face for too long.

It was a bitter thing, for him to be so fond of children and them return the sentiment twice as much. They were so fragile and easily molded – innocent to the dark, gruesome ways of the world. That went doubly-so for the life Tetsuya led. He had, once upon a time, vowed to never involve a child, but when he met this young boy on a starry night while relieving stress on a basketball court . . .

Tetsuya shook his head, and Daiki was in front of him, his hands opened to reveal a hopping cicada that seemed to feel calm enough to buzz its hum quietly. A while of them both marveling at the insect passed and then it seemed to decide it was bored, and flew away, causing its catcher to cry out with disappointment.

He stamped his foot to the ground with balled fist, "One-a these days, I'm definitely gonna catch a bunch and keep them as pets!" Daiki declared, raising his fists to the sky. In a complete change of topic, he turned to Tetsuya, "Can we go for ice cream?"

_Pure determination and frivolous desire, all in the same moment. _The blue-haired young man smiled, the idea of ice cream growing on him. "Yes, that sounds nice." He held out his hand and Daiki took it without missing a beat. Soon, the two of them were traveling down the rest of the path that led to the miniature shopping district. Daiki was rattling off about what kind of ice cream he wanted ( some of the flavors were . . . Frankensteinian, Tetsuya had to admit ) and while he listened, his pale blue eyes watched the forest scenery go by.

"Hey lady, it's rude to keep a customer waiting!" Daiki drummed his palms against the smooth counter top of the ice cream shop. Tetsuya let out a breath that was a half-laugh, half-sigh; leave it to the little monster to grab the attention of the entire place when he couldn't call the attention of one person himself, even after five minutes. Daiki's stare was hard at the lady, as if he were personally offended that she didn't notice Tetsuya. He smiled to himself, remembering when that type of look was used against him. In all honesty, although Tetsuya had never been affected by it, the stare was very intimidating, even if it was from a charming boy like Daiki.

He almost chuckled when he thought of how Kise-kun had shied away from the boy for nearly a month.

Hand-in-hand once more, the pair walked out of the ice cream shop where his phone vibrated in his pocket, and Tetsuya reminded himself that he would ask Murasakibara-kun to make ice cream for them, soon. There was something different and more cozy about homemade ice cream. It would definitely be vanilla that they made, because he didn't like the chocolate that Daiki seemed to treasure so much. It was childish of him, but sometimes that was alright around the little boy. They got along best that way because he wasn't a parent to Daiki as much as he was a guardian.

When he thought about it, it made little to no sense as to why the young boy was an orphan. His personality was vibrant, passionate, and one couldn't help but smile when being around him. Since they had been together, there was a certain glow that was present in Tetsuya's life that had never been present before – before, his life had been dark and somber, filled with the stuff of nightmares on a nightly basis. With Daiki around, it was freeing and uplifting after living in such a life for so long.

However . . . If there was one thing Tetsuya was never completely sure of, it was whether or not he would ( or already did ) come to regret his decision of bringing the boy into such a life. He was infamous and very familiar with the mortality of humans – and having experienced the loss of a child already, having Daiki around may very well turn out to be a heinous idea in the future. He briefly glanced down at the tanned boy who seemed lost in the sweet world of his frozen confection. Maybe it would be best to simply trust Akashi-kun, and everything would be fine.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked the young boy, showing a hint of a smile. Daiki looked up at him with a bright expression and opened his mouth to rush out complete nonsense because there was a large glob of chocolate inside. Tetsuya laughed at the sight while the boy closed his mouth, quickly chewed, and then swallowed.

"This is really, really great!" he declared, raising what was left of his ice cream into the air.

_So adorable. _The warm, filling feeling was something only Daiki and his beautiful innocence and joy could bring him. He leaned down slightly, holding out his vanilla cone, "Would you like to try?"

Daiki eyed the cone critically, glancing a few times between it and his own. "I bet it doesn't taste as great as choc'late!" he decided before hand, and then leaned in to take a lick. He seemed to slush it around his mouth thoughtfully, absorbing it and making scientific calculations of a new creation to be revised . . . but then his face scrunched up. "Nope, too plain!" he stated, and then he bit a chunk out of his own cone.

Quickly letting go of Tetsuya's hand, Daiki's expression turned sour and he clenched his eyes closed. "Brain freeze, brain freeze!" he complained, shaking his head.

Tetsuya couldn't help but laugh at the sight and then squatted down and put his hand on the smaller shoulder to still the boy. "Here," he said gently, and then leaned in to press a kiss onto the tanned forehead. The pair stayed like that for a second, and then Daiki leaned back, laughing with delight.

Hearing the sound of the lively laugh made Tetsuya glow. It was at moments like these that he wondered if Daiki would always laugh like that around him . . . He wondered if, whenever Daiki grew up, if he might come to hate him for adopting him into a life like this. If Tetsuya could help it, he would never have to join the work that came in hand but that ideal was a hard one to hold onto, especially with the looming figure of Akashi-kun. There were also those times when Daiki would say such incredulous things in that bold-as-brass way of his about protecting Tetsuya from the "bad things".

He sighed. When a twenty-five-year-old had to be looked after by a _child_, that would be the day he'd turn in his gun – even if somehow, he could actually _believe_ that the boy was capable of destroying the whole world, just for him.

By the time they had broken from the forest path that lead back to the secluded cottage the two of them lived in, Daiki was fervently demanding that he help Tetsuya finish off his ice cream since he'd already gobbled his own down.

"But you're _sooo _slow!"

"Maybe I want to be slow."

"Lame!"

"Besides, I thought you said you didn't like it?"

"Th – That's . . . So! I – I didn't say I hated it, so that means I can definitely help!"

The tanned hand reached up for the cone that was almost finished and it nearly collided with Tetsuya's face, barely missing when he smoothly maneuvered his head to the side. Some of the cold cream grazed his cheek. "Ah, it's on my face . . ." Tetsuya mumbled, reaching into his pocket for a napkin.

"I got it!" Daiki exclaimed, and then pulled Tetsuya down to kiss him on the cheek, licking away the mess.

_. . . Oh._ Tetsuya was a professional at hiding his expressions, but if he wasn't, the little boy would probably tease him about the massive blush on his face. _This boy is going to be the death of me._ He sighed, but then smiled and ruffled the dark locks, "Thank you, Daiki-kun." His reply was a bright thumbs-up.

They joined hands again, beginning to walk.

Before they could reach the lawn, Tetsuya heard something foreign. Many of something foreign. He stopped the two of them and then spun around to face Daiki where he was standing, squatting down once more. "Would you like to help me, still?" he asked with a smile and held up what was left of his vanilla cone, "If you can finish this in ten licks, you can stay up with me tonight, okay?" ( _This distraction should suffice for you._ )

The sudden topic threw Daiki for a bit of a loop, and for a moment, he had a suspicion that something was wrong, but when he looked at the placid, small smile on Tetsu's face, he relaxed a little. "Ten licks?" he repeated, still a little on edge. (_ Don't be frightened. Everything will be alright. _)

Tetsuya nodded, his expression soft, "Yes. They have to be slow too, otherwise you'll get another brain freeze, and keep facing this way, okay? Don't move from this spot, no matter what, otherwise you'll lose." ( _If you stay facing this way, you won't see. Focus on the ice cream, and I will take care of the rest._ )

He knew that Daiki didn't like standing still, but if there was a good prize that he was playing the game for, his young pride and determination would definitely outweigh his restless self. The boy gave a slow nod and put both hands around the cone. ( _So small . . ._ ) He patted the top of Daiki's head, and then stood up, walking around the small figure to be back-to-back with him.

"If you peek, that's cheating and you'll lose." His serene voice reached the little boy who nodded against his back. ( _This is something I never want you to see. I refuse to let you be tainted. _) While one hand was still resting on the boy's shoulder, the other raised into a clenched fist of massive destruction.

"Wait for me." Tetsuya breathed out compassionately.

Daiki decided that he liked Tetsu's voice a lot because it was pretty and warm, but . . . He didn't understand what was up with this sudden game to finish off this ice cream! Still, if Tetsu asked him to do it, there was no way he was gonna fail ten licks or less!

In front of Tetsuya was a mob of thugs that wielded deadly weapons. In a startling contrast with his voice, the almost-passive expression of Tetsuya's face was positively lethal and noxious. He didn't know how or who caused this, but it would certainly be dealt with in a swift and painful manner – and then he would investigate and close this case without leaving a trace. The name of _Phantom_ wasn't simply some pretty title.

Daiki had begun to count his licks and while listening to his voice, Tetsuya remember that yes, these sorry souls would pay dearly for interrupting their day together.

**.**

**.**

**.**

". . . And ten!"

Daiki popped the last of the cake cone into his mouth and threw his hands up into the air, doing a silly victory dance with his eyes closed. When he settled again, Tetsu and his really wonderful face was in front of him and he grabbed the available hand a swung it. "I finished your ice cream in ten big bites – that means I get to stay up with you!" he chanted excitedly, hopping up and down.

Tetsuya laughed, curling their fingers together and started them on walking again towards the cottage that had just appeared under the beautiful sunset.

The free hand of the young man was obscured from view, battered and cut while dripping with blood and blooming with new bruises. The footprints that continued to lead up the cobblestone path stained it with the thick, dirty liquid and were walking away from a large mess of beaten bodies. There were probably only a handful of them that could still even breath life. Daiki continued to swing the good hand while Tetsuya curled his fingers around the smaller one even more tightly. Pale blue eyes closed.

**"Yes, you can stay with me."**

Tetsuya called on his phone later that night to check the mail he had received. There were four.

_**From: **Akashi-kun  
**Subject: **Warning_

_It seems that we have a traitor in our midsts, Tetsuya,  
so you are being targeted and they will most likely  
show up at your home. Proceed with caution and then  
come see me tomorrow and we will investigate the  
situation. I have my suspicions._

_Watch out for the boy as well, but stop worrying about  
him so much. You're no good distracted. Everything  
will be fine with him._

_**From: **Midorima-kun  
**Subject: **Caution_

_Since you always have that little abomination with you,  
you won't have to worry. Oha-Asa says that a Virgo is a  
lucky person for you. Akashi and I discovered a traitor  
and I think I know who it is. Why he would go after you  
instead of Kise though, I'm not sure. We'll see you then._

_**From: **Kise-kun  
**Subject: **My poor Kurokocchi!_

_Watch your back because I bet I know who's after you!  
ahhh, I'm sorry this happened it was my fault. Don't get  
hurt otherwise i'll be super upset and cry forever at your  
funeral and then kill myself! Make sure you call me  
tomorrow, ok? _(´ε｀○ ) ~

_Tell Aominecchi not to growl at me cuz he's scary!_

_**From: **Murasakibara-kun  
**Subject: **_ヽ(– д –;)ノ

_kuro-chiiiin be safe! who's gonna bring me wonderful  
snacks tomorrow if you die? dont worry, i'll crush anyone  
that tries to hurt kuro-chin and my snacks. bring me  
something good tomorrow. dont forget! _(–▽– )ノ

The light of the television filled the room with something that Tetsuya had no interest in. The messages hadn't made him smile, but he did feel more secure after reading them. Curling into his side was a sleeping Daiki, who had crashed just as soon as they sat down.

He pulled a blanket over the both of them while thinking about Akashi-kun's message; would everything be fine? Once, with those other children, he thought so, and now . . . He didn't know, but . . . So long as he was watching out for the boy, it should be. His arm wrapped warmly around the body that breathed even and deep breaths. It made him relax and close his eyes.

Perhaps someday he would look back and decide that it was a completely horrible idea to have adopted the boy, but . . . For now, Tetsuya decided that it was fine the way it was.

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

There were a lot of parallels between the first and second chapter, but I hope that you still enjoyed it.

I _might_ write companion story where little Tetsu and little Daiki have grown up, but I'm still not sure. If you're interested in stories I have lined up for the future, check my profile and click the link labeled 'Future Story Ideas!'.

Thanks for reading! I hope you leave a review. • u •


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